A Quick Observation on Tokyo Life
A regular blog reader here, Mr. Mickey Tramarchi, made a very astute observation last week after I posted about the umbrella etiquette issues in Tokyo. In the past, posts he has liked have included those about allowing my children more freedom here in Japan, and issues surrounding my bicycle among others. He comments often about my observations of life in Japan and this comment really hit close to home. He writes that in a country where we can leave wallets out on park benches and bikes unlocked on the streets, and allow our elementary-aged children ride subways without fear, we lock up our umbrellas.
What an interesting country – he says! I agree – what a country!
Aimee Weinstein, Tokyo Writer 
When I wrote an article a few years ago about Japan’s fabulous lost and found system, I learned that the two most stolen items in Japan are bicycles and umbrellas. And a week later someone took the umbrella I left at a cafe entrance during a rain storm. Boy, did I get WET!
When I read the first post, I had to assume that locking your umbrella would guarantee that you end up taking *your* umbrella. Otherwise, they tend to look alike and you could take the wrong one too easily. Very efficient, as always.
This is so true! I left my cheapo drugstore special umbrella out to dry just outside our door a few weeks ago and had a big surprise the next morning. My umbrella had been stolen!! That was not the big surprise, however. My stolen umbrella had been replaced with the thief’s broken one. So in the end, I guess it was more like an umbrella “exchange”. From now on I will be letting my umbrellas dry in our genkan…